A Ministry of Hope Since 2014
Sometimes the world seems so heavy that your heart is about to break. No one cares to listen. You have nowhere else to turn, so you talk to God about it and record your thoughts in your journal. Scripture tells us God heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds (Psalm 147:3). Later, when you go back and read your journal entries, you have evidence that nothing is too hard for God.
Look for Near to the Brokenhearted, a new daily devotional and journal coming soon.
Look! I am creating new heavens and a new earth, and no one will even think about the old ones anymore.
Isaiah 65:17
The prophet Isaiah tells us the Lord said: “For I am about to create new heavens and a new earth.” Scripture tells us that the Lord was displeased because there was no justice in the community; no one was marching up to the plate to help the oppressed and the victimized. So, God stepped in to do the job. I wonder if God is displeased to see so much violence occurring in and around our communities today. I submit to you that the situation in Isaiah is similar to the one that many people are experiencing today. As a result, many people have abandoned hope. They find themselves in a world that needs changing, a world that needs saving, a world that cries out to be made new and improved. People of faith believe that a new day is on the horizon. And so, we wait and anticipate the new heavens and new earth. In these troubled times, people must continue holding onto hope.
In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.
Keeping Hope Alive
Things were different in Babylon, where the people encountered new challenges in a foreign land. In exile, they faced unfamiliar societal norms, exotic customs, and syncretic worship practices that challenged them unexpectedly. If they weren’t careful, they stood in danger of losing track of their identity as people of faith. Despite it all, the prophet Jeremiah told them to look toward the future with hope. God had plans for their shalom (peace) and not their calamity. In times of uncertainty, they needed to keep praying and searching for God in every circumstance. The prophet’s advice is applicable today. The currently fragmented body of Christ must find ways to connect in novel ways. If they continue to search for God wholeheartedly, they will see their God loves them and gives them hope to meet any challenge.
